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Image borrowed from u4ya.ca |
Ever since the Patriot Act was enabled in 2001, it has been no stranger to controversy. People fear that the government will eventually misuse the powers it has given itself to fight terrorism. This too is Doctorow’s fear. Specifically information sharing, roving wiretaps, access to records, foreign intelligence wiretaps and searches, “sneak and peek” warrants, and material support have received lots of criticism from the public. There are legitimate concerns about whether or not the government will use the Patriot Act to develop massive data bases that include innocent people who are not part of criminal investigations. Also, innocent people who come into contact with criminals could have their privacy violated, and that some provisions would allow the government to use “sneak and peak” warrants for even minor offenses. Another major issue is the fact that Osama Bin Laden has been brought to justice, which was the initial purpose of the bill. Doctorow would agree with most, if not all, of these criticisms. These issues are the reason he wrote the book. The fact that the people control whose in government prevents this from getting out of hand, in my opinion. These laws just have to be used responsibly, and it’s the people’s job to make sure they elect responsible officials. As for the argument that the bill has served its purpose in light of Osama Bin Laden’s death, this is completely misguided. The Patriot Act’s purpose is to protect American lives from terrorism. Just because one terrorist has been caught doesn’t mean that there aren’t others still out there. In fact, Ayman Al Zawahiri has been the brains of the operation for some time now. He is one of many reasons the Patriot Act is still necessary. |
Image borrowed from sjmb.wordpress.com |
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